ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 19 Navy water polo team (14-4) scored 19 goals en route to a 19-6 victory against Connecticut College (1-4) on Saturday afternoon at Scott Natatorium. Nine different Midshipmen scored, while three goalies combined to allow just six scores.
Offensively, Navy tied a season-best with 19 goals on the day. Nine Mids scored goals, including six that notched multiple scores.
Billy Zech led the team with five goals, posting his second hat trick in as many games.
Spencer Shelley joined Zech with a hat trick, finding the back of the net three times on the day.
Connor Cashman,
Peter Davids,
Alejandro Schmidt Corujo, and
William True added a pair of scores apiece, while
Jacques Dutton,
Liam McInerney, and
Kyle Yelensky each dented the net. For Davids and True, it was duo's first collegiate goals, while the game marked the first collegiate appearance for Davids.
Cashman led the team with three assists, while Davids added a pair of helpers. Additionally, Dutton, Schmidt Corujo, Shelley, True, and Yelensky each registered assists in the game.
Defensively,
Jack Hightower,
Owen Gurich, and
Francis Hendrickson split time at goal for the Midshipmen. Hightower earned the start, allowing just three goals in one and a half quarters of play, posting a pair of saves. Gurich surrendered just one goal in a little over a quarter of play, while notching three stops. Hendrickson closed out the final 10 and a half minutes of the game allowing just a pair of scores, recording his first collegiate save.
As a team, the Midshipmen finished the game with 15 steals with Cashman, Dutton, and Shelley leading the way with two apiece. The Mids drew 11 ejections with Schmidt Corujo leading the charge with eight ejections drawn.
Navy jumped out to an early 5-1 lead through one quarter. Schmidt Corujo netted a pair of goals in the first quarter, while Davids, Shelley, and Zech found the back of the net to give the Mids a four-goal advantage. The Midshipmen extended its advantage to 10-4 at halftime. True and Zech notched two scores apiece in the quarter, while Shelley added his second goal of the half.
In the second half, the Midshipmen used a 4-1 third quarter and a 5-1 fourth to provide the final margin. Four separate Mids – Yelensky, Shelley, Dutton, and Cashman – scored in the third quarter. Zech added two scores in the fourth, while Cashman, Davids, and McInerney also found the back of the net in the final period.
Navy closes out the weekend at Bucknell, as the Mids travel to Lewisburg, Pa. on Sunday. The opening sprint is slated for 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
